Rattlesnake Master

Posted on | Dry Sunny Garden, Native Plant Profile, Prairie / Meadow
  • Botanical name: Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Light: full sun
  • Water needs: low, medium
  • Soil: clay, loam, sand, gravel
  • Height: 2 – 4 ft
  • Bloom: June, July
  • Sociability: 2
  • Wildlife value: pollinators, beetles, host plant

Rattlesnake master is an upright perennial unlike most other full-sun loving plants in the Tennessee Valley, and provides a great contrast in a meadow garden. The botanical name refers to its leaves’ similar to the leaves of a yucca plant, and they tend to be a cooler shade of green-blue.

The flower heads are unusual and provide nectar for local pollinators. It can slowly spread by seed or by growing in a clump when happy. We recommend putting it in the middle of your garden so the spiky heads can be seen while blooming and provide visual interest throughout the fall and winter.

Spreading notes: Self-seeds in optimal conditions.

Maintenance notes: Can split by division.

Sources: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/https://www.wildflower.org/plants/https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/plantfindersearch.aspx

Photo by: Aaron Carlson
Rattlesnake master basal leaves before sending up a flower stem